Focus on transport logistics

The Indian government is currently investing in the country’s infrastructure on a massive scale be it roads, railways or waterways. The budget for upgrading roads alone is worth almost $14 billion until 2018. Says Vishesh Kathuria, Vice President, IMAP India, “The government has budgeted $14 billion for 2017/18 and therefore paved the way for upgrading 14,000 km of roads.” Kathuria believes that the distribution of freight within the modal split is another problem. “Too little consideration is given to railway and shipping traffic when it comes to cargo, although India is home to the fourth-largest railway network in the world and there are more than 15,500 km of waterways available for transport.” The latest developments in the infrastructure sector, in the standardisation of the tax system, but also in the field of digitalisation and the booming e-commerce business are opening up the Indian logistics market to a large number of foreign companies.